Austin Mosque Vandalized For Second Time In 2 Weeks

NORTH AUSTIN, TEXAS — A North Austin mosque was vandalized for the second time in as many weeks on Thursday, officials said.

Officials at the North Austin Muslim Community Center, 11900 N Lamar Blvd., reported damage to a fence and multiple vehicles during the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 13, according to a press advisory. Officials at the mosque reported an earlier incident of vandalism on Sept. 2 that left broken windows and a punctured tires on a car outside in its wake.

The vandalism scourge prompted mosque officials to reinforce their call for a thorough police investigation into the matter: "The Austin, Texas, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Austin) is again calling on law enforcement authorities to investigate a second case of vandalism targeting a mosque in that city as a possible hate crime," officials said in a prepared statement.

In the latest act of vandalism, officials said a fence and multiple vehicles were damaged.

Related story: North Austin Mosque Vandalized

“Our community members feel increasingly unsafe after the repeated vandalism of this mosque," CAIR-Austin Executive Director Maira Sheikh said in the statement. "Anti-Muslim incidents are on the rise and we urge law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this case, including any possible bias motive."

Sheikh echoed widespread concerns of spikes in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president. Many pundits have decried Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric — including his past efforts to ban travel into the U.S. by people living in Muslim-majority nations — as a tactic serving to embolden those already predisposed to bigotry.

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization recently released an update on anti-Muslim incidents nationwide in the second quarter (April-June) of 2018 indicating that anti-Muslim bias incidents and hate crimes are up 83 and 21 percent respectively, as compared to the first quarter of 2018, Sheikh noted. To read the report, click here.

As added context to illustrate growing anti-Muslim sentiment, mosque officials provided video showing armed members of Soldiers of Odin and Texas Patriot Network, an anti-Muslim hate group, showing up outside the recent national convention of the Islamic Society of North America event in Houston in a tactic of intimidation.

Photos of the anti-Muslim activists also were shared on Facebook:

In the wake of the most recent act of vandalism, Austin mosque officials urged members of their community to report any bias incidents to law enforcement and to CAIR-Austin at (512) 785-7105 or by filing a report at https://tinyurl.com/CAIRAustin. They also offered a link for an electronic booklet outlining extra security precautions. The booklet may be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/BestSafetyPractices.

Officials described CAIR as the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization with a mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

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